BEAUFORT ROTARY’S VIDALIA ONION FUNDRAISER 2026
Sweet Tradition, Strong Impact
story and photos courtesy of BEAUFORT ROTARY
The Rotary Club of Beaufort is hosting its annual fundraiser, the sale of farm-fresh Vidalia onions. The money raised is used to support grant requests from local nonprofits and to support both inbound and outbound exchange students at Beaufort High School and Beaufort Academy.
What’s so special about Vidalia onions? They are sweet! Discovered during the Depression by a Georgia farmer named Mose Coleman, the onions became popular at local Vidalia, Georgia, farmers markets, and soon they were being sold at Georgia Piggly Wiggly and A&P stores. The annual growing season is short, and it wasn’t until the early 1990s when technology adapted from the apple industry found a way to extend their shelf life. From that point forward, Vidalia onion farming took off!
In order to be marketed as “Vidalia,” the onions must be grown in Vidalia County, Georgia, or 13 surrounding counties and portions of seven others – all in Georgia. The onions mature and are harvested in late April through mid-June.
Annually, the Rotary Club of Beaufort takes orders and Rotarians drive to the Vidalia, Georgia, onion fields on two successive Wednesdays in early May to bring back 10- and 25-pound bags to sell.
The onions cost $12 for a 10-pound bag or $25 for a 25-pound bag. They must be ordered before May 8th and will be available for pick-up between noon and 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Sea Island Presbyterian Church, Lady’s Island, on May 13th.
The onions can be ordered through any member of the Rotary Club of Beaufort; or from the club’s website,
www.beaufortrotaryclub.org; or by scanning the QR code.
As an added bonus, you can download a Rotary Club of Beaufort Vidalia Onion Recipe Book, featuring some of Pat Conroy’s favorite recipes from The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life. And, this early in the season, Rotary Vidalia onions are less expensive than those sold in neighborhood supermarkets!
This past year, profits from the 2025 Vidalia onion sale benefited the United Way of the Lowcountry Early Grade Reading Program, an environmental grant partnership for the pollinator garden at the Port Royal Maritime Museum, the USCB endowed chair in honor of Professor Emeritus Larry Rowland, Honor Flight Savannah, and recognition for Beaufort’s Military Service Members of the Year.
The motto of Rotary is “service above self.” Your purchase of Vidalia onions provides the funds needed for the Rotary Club of Beaufort to continue doing good deeds that directly affect the greater Beaufort community!
